AUTHOR=Yuan Hongmei , Shi Rui , Chen Wenwen , Ma Ying , Liu Zhiqing , Liu Fan , Yang Jingmei 

TITLE=Evaluating occupational exposures of dental nurses: A retrospective study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1010531

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2022.1010531

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Objective: To investigate occupational blood-borne pathogen exposure among dental nurses and their attitudes towards infected patients, as well as the effectiveness of the training course, to provide a scientific basis for improving the quality of safety management in dental hospital.
Materials and Methods: The study was conducted using questionnaires administered from November 2019 to December 2019 in three hospitals in Sichuan Province, China. Frequencies for answers were calculated and presented as percentages.
Results: In total, 257 valid questionnaires were returned. Most (61.9%) nurses stated that they were involved in occupational exposure. Among them, 154 had experienced sharp injuries, and the syringe needle was the most common instrument for injuries (45.8%). Twenty-two individuals had mucosal exposure, and the proportion of eye exposure was the highest (90.9%). Only associations between training and mucosal membrane exposure were found; however, the relevance was weak (r = 0.141). Of the participants, 86.4% felt morally responsible for taking care of patients with infectious diseases, and most (92.6%) said they would continue with this career. 
Conclusions: Occupational exposure, particularly to sharp injuries, was common in medical care among dental nurses; however, vocational training had little effect on their incidence. As dental nurses still have positive attitudes towards patients with infectious diseases, more effective training should be conducted.